Curtis Sisters
by EL Hyland
Summary: The Curtis brothers with sisters - Jo is Soda's twin and just back from her first year at college, and Victoria is the baby of the family. Takes place about a year after the book, Jo returns home after dropping out of college and tries to intercept the letter before Darry sees it. Ages are Darry 21, Soda and Jo 18, Pony 15, Victoria 13.
1. Chapter 1

Jo came back earlier than she told her family she would be. She also didn't tell them that she had dropped out of college and she was trying to intercept the letter from the school before Darry did. He wasn't going to take it well, not after how much he had pushed her and sacrificed for her to go. She wanted to spend the summer break dropping hints about how she didn't want to go back, and by the end of the summer it would seem almost natural for her to stay back and think about it, take some time off and work, or maybe even transfer to a local college.

The key was still in the same place it had been since she could remember. The house still looked virtually the same since her parents died, they couldn't afford new furniture or anything so things stayed the same, although it was a bit messier. She dropped her stuff in what used to be her parent's bedroom, she was the only one that had the guts to move in there after they died. It almost started a fight, but they eventually agreed it was best for them to not leave the room like a shrine. Besides, Darry had been the only one to not share a room growing up, and it wasn't a big deal for Pony and Soda to share, but there was a big age difference between Jo and Victoria. After the initial shock, Darry agreed it was best for Jo to have her own room as a teenage girl.

She started picking up the house, mostly to kill time and almost like a bad habit kicking in, and before she knew it she had cleaned the living room, kitchen and bathroom. She started dinner and she was finishing up the dishes when she heard the front screen slam. She left the front door open so they would know someone was in the house and not panic if they heard her before they saw her.

She stepped into the living room and barely had enough time to say anything before Victoria ran into her. She smiled as she held her little sister and reached out for Pony to join the hug. He had grown so much he was now taller than her and could easily wrap his arms around both of his sisters.

"Jo!" she said excitedly. "You're back!"

Victoria was the youngest and the most affected by everything. She was the baby, but she was growing up. Darry was going to have his hands full and they were already full enough with Pony. Jo tried to treat all her siblings the same and had a special bond with them all, it let her avoid being in the middle like Soda often was. Darry babied Victoria and was strict with Pony, which caused Soda to pay extra attention to Pony and make Victoria feel left out and turn back to Darry, which started the cycle all over again. Soda may be Darry's little buddy, but Jo was Darry's partner in crime and he really missed her.

"I thought you weren't coming home until next week?" Pony asked.

"I lied," she smiled. "So, I could surprise everyone."

"Oh, no way!" Soda yelled as he came through the door. He picked Jo up and spun her around as he hugged her tightly. "When did you get here?"

"A few hours ago," she laughed as he put her down. "Miss me?"

"Hell yeah," Soda said and slipped an arm around her shoulders. "Does Darry know?"

"Nope, no one knew," she said. "It's a surprise."

"Well, Darry will be surprised at how clean this house is, and he will be home soon," Soda nodded at his two younger siblings. "You two need to get a start on your homework, and I'm going to start dinner."

"Jo already made dinner," he mumbled. "And, I only have math to do."

"That's the one you struggle the most with," Soda said. "Best to start it now, and Tori I know you have that book report due tomorrow."

"Come on, Soda," Victoria whined. "I want to talk to Jo."

"Jo ain't going anywhere," Soda said as he pointed to the kitchen table. "Sit and get to it."

Jo raised her eyebrows at him in surprise as Pony and Victoria dumped their bags on the table and started in on their homework. It wasn't like him to be stern like that, and it wasn't like them to be so compliant either. Soda gestured for her to follow him into his shared room with Pony, and he closed the door behind her as she walked in.

"My twin senses are tingling," Soda said. "Why are you really here?"

She sighed and sat down on his bed. "Promise you won't tell?"

"Duh," he frowned. "Of course."

"I dropped out," she admitted.

"You what?" he said as his hands rested on his hips.

"Shh," she said with a frown. "It's not forever, it's just too far. I miss being here with you guys."

"You couldn't wait to go," he said as he joined her on the bed. "You wanted the freedom, remember?"

"I know, but the novelty of that freedom wore off months ago," she said. "You know I didn't want to go back after Christmas break. You had to talk me into it and drove me back and I cried most of the way."

"Yeah, but I figured you'd work through it," he shrugged.

"Well, I tried," she said. "You guys are kind of hard to forget."

"I guess it's kind of hard when one of us is calling you every night," he said.

"With some new problem," she nodded. "Although, you seem to be handling things differently."

"Yeah, and they're fine," he said. "They call because they're used to it. You're the talker in the family, well, the listener."

"I just feel like they need me, and I need all of you too," she said.

"Jo, you do this all the time, put everyone ahead of yourself," he said. "The school wanted you to skip a grade how many times? You kept refusing until I dropped out and then you finally did something good for yourself. You finished high school a year early and got into good colleges. Now you want to throw it all away, and for what?"

"For them," she said desperately.

"They're fine," he matched her tone. "Darry and I are fine too. We've got it handled."

"Okay, well I'm not fine," she said.

Soda sighed and reached out to wrap his arms around her. "I know," he said. "I could feel it and I could hear it every time I talked to you."

"What am I going to do, Soda?" she mumbled into his shoulder.

"I don't know," he said. "But, at some point you're going to have to tell Darry."

"I'm the listener, but he's the problem solver," she said. "You're the unwavering support."

He smiled and squeezed her a little tighter before they separated. "Always," he said. "I won't say anything, but I'll be here for you when you do."

Their twin moment was interrupted by the sound of Darry's truck pulling into the driveway and the screen door slamming behind him. Darry walked into the house and noticed how clean it was and he immediately frowned. He wondered if social services called with a surprise appointment. Usually he had to bark orders to get everyone to pitch in and do their chores and the house rarely looked this good. He looked around and noticed Victoria and Pony doing homework at the table, while a freshly made lasagna cooled on the counter.

"Either you two were replaced by clones or," he smiled at he turned around and saw Jo leaning against the doorframe. "Or, Jo is home."

Jo grinned and jumped into his outreached arms. He held her tightly and it was one of the first times in weeks Darry seemed to visibly relax. They weren't sure if it was because he was happy she was back and they were all together again, or because she seemed to reduce his stress level by managing things at home. Once she was gone, he had to handle financial stress and the stress of raising his siblings alone. Soda tried to step up, and he had some luck keeping things in line, but Jo had a motherly effect on the house that they all had missed.

"You're early," he said as they separated. "Not that I mind."

"I wanted to surprise you," she said.

"Well you did," he said as he dropped a kiss to her head. "And, you made my favorite dinner, cleaned the house, got these two doing their homework?"

"That last part was all Soda," she said as he entered the kitchen.

"Yeah, we wanted to spend time with Jo and he wouldn't let us," Victoria pouted. "He just wanted us out of the way so he could talk to her."

Soda smirked and cupped her chin. "I wanted you to finish your homework before dinner instead of leaving it until the last minute and having a meltdown before bed," he said with raised brows. "You know, like last night, and the night before."

"Well, I'm done," she smiled at him and held up her work.

"Good girl," Soda smiled back and dropped a kiss to her head. "Pony?"

"I'm done too," he said. "Darry, can you check it?"

"Sure, little buddy," he said. "But, after dinner. Set the table you two, I'm going to change."

"Maybe you should go back to school, Soda," Jo said as she plated the lasagna and he put it down on the table.

Soda smirked. "There's a reason Pony didn't ask me to check his math."

"I'm serious," she said. "You could do it."

"We need the money," he said. "And, I'm happy working on cars."

"I know," she said with a shrug. "But-"

"Jo, are you really giving me the education speech after what we just talked about?" he said with a raised brow.

"What did you talk about?" Victoria asked innocently.

"Nothing," she smiled and placed a basket of buns and a large salad on the table. "Everyone eats some of the salad, or no cake for dessert."

"What about for breakfast?" Pony grinned.

"No cake for breakfast," she said as Darry came back into the kitchen. "Do you ever feed them vegetables?"

"I do," he said. "But, if I want them to help with dinner, I let them cook things they'll eat."

"Yeah, Jo," Pony said. "No one likes salad."

"I like it," Victoria said. "And, Jo is the only one that changes the portion size. You guys fill my plate like I'm one of you."

Jo smiled, she had cut a piece of lasagna in half for them to share and they both filled their plate with salad. She ripped one of the buns in half and passed it across the table to Victoria. "You barely eat," Soda said to Jo. "Now I gotta worry about her eating habits too?"

"I eat," Jo rolled her eyes. "I just don't eat cake for breakfast and bread with every meal."

"What's left?" Pony grinned at her.

"Seriously," Victoria said. "You guys are making me fat."

"You're not fat," Darry and Soda said at the same time with heavy frowns.

"You're crazy, Vic," Pony added.

"I'm getting pudgy," she said.

"Alright, pause," Jo shook her head before her brothers could start in on their speeches that never went well when it came to girl issues. She nodded at her little sister. "Let's go have a chat."

"Jo," Darry said.

"I got it," she reassured. "Cake is in the icebox, eat dessert, do the dishes, check Pony's homework. I don't care, just leave this one to me."

She gently pushed Victoria toward her room and followed her down the hallway. "Finally," Victoria said as she flopped down on her bed and Jo closed the door and joined her. "Do you see what you left me alone with?"

"You seem just fine," Jo smiled. "Just don't wind them up like that."

"But it's true!" she insisted. "They're going to make me fat with all that food."

"Vic, you're not fat, you're getting curves," Jo explained. "It's part of becoming a woman, speaking of which, did you at least tell Darry?"

"That I got my period?" she looked appalled. "No, do you know how awkward that would be?"

"He can handle it, he used to pick me up tampons," she said.

"He did?" Victoria frowned.

"Yeah, Vic, I didn't always work, someone had to buy them," she said. "I paved that path, he and Soda got pretty used to me saying I needed them, or at least money to buy them."

"Maybe, but that was years after you go it, you had Mom for the first few years," she said.

"That's true," she nudged her. "But, you have me, and I won't give you the incredibly awkward blooming flower talk she gave me."

Victoria laughed, but she looked kind of sad. "I miss her," she said.

"Me too," Jo said. "And, for what it's worth, I wish she was here for you during all this like she was here for me."

Victoria shrugged. "I probably would have told you first even if she was."

Jo smirked. "Well, I'm here now."

"For the summer, and then you leave again." Victoria sighed.

"Come on, tell me what else has been going on." She smiled.

Jo came back out to the living room after talking to Victoria. Soda seemed to slip out of his and Pony's room right around the same time and they both joined Darry in the living room. Victoria and Pony weren't great at sleeping alone and often had nightmares. It made for some sleepless nights for Darry and Soda sometimes, but mostly they went to each other since Darry and Soda had to work in the mornings.

Soda flopped down on one of the couches and Jo sat with Darry on the other one. He had the TV on low and she stretched out and lifted his arm to drape across herself. He gave her a slight squeeze which she returned and he frowned momentarily. She often looked for comfort from him when something was bothering her, but he chalked this up to missing them for now.

"Jo," Soda said slowly. "Want your job back at the DX?"

She frowned. "They still haven't found anyone?"

"They found someone half a dozen times over," Darry commented. "Couldn't handle working with Steve."

"They hired a couple girls, but they couldn't handle the guys coming in hitting on them, or Steve hitting on them," Soda shrugged. "They'd hire you back in a heartbeat."

"With all that college you could get a good office job for the summer," Darry said.

Jo exchanged a glance with Soda that didn't go unnoticed by Darry. "I dunno," she shrugged. "Might just want a fun summer job, Darry."

"Well, it's up to you," he said. "Soda, if Pony is sleeping later you can bunk with me. God knows we don't need to be waking that kid up."

"I thought his nightmares were getting better?" Jo frowned.

"They are," Soda sighed. "He's just having issues falling asleep now. If I wake him up going into the room, he might not get back to sleep and then I don't sleep either. Usually I stay in your room if he's already asleep." He said with a grin.

"You can still stay in there," she mumbled. "Dar, can I stay with you?"

"Sure," he said with a slight frown as he looked down at her and rubbed her arm. "You alright?"

"Yeah, just missed you," she said quietly without taking her eyes off the TV. "Sometimes I just need my big brother."

"Uhm, I'm your big brother too," Soda said to distract Darry from asking more questions. Jo was dying to tell him, he could tell, but he knew she wanted to plant the seed.

"By two minutes!" Jo said.

"And, don't you forget it!" Soda grinned.


	2. Chapter 2

Jo woke up alone in Darry's room to the sound of him calling out for the others to get up. She could hear people hustling around outside in the hallway and knew everyone was getting up and ready for the day. She slipped out of the room and into the kitchen as Soda was coming out of the bathroom and Pony was going in.

"Victoria, you have five minutes to get up or you're going to school without a shower," Darry yelled down the hall before he pointed to Pony. "Five minutes for you in there."

"Dar?" she asked.

"Have you seen my jeans?" Soda asked as he came into the kitchen in a towel.

"Yeah, I ironed them. They're in my closet," Darry said to Soda and turned to answer Jo but was interrupted by Victoria running in.

"You have to wake me up earlier!" she said. "I don't take ten minutes to get ready like a boy!"

Darry raised a brow at her. "I've already called for you twice," he said. "Set an alarm and wake up before us, or shower at night like Jo used to if you don't like it."

"Oh, so I have to do everything like Jo?" she argued. "Maybe you, or Soda and Pony should shower at night."

"You'd still be late," Pony said as he came out of the bathroom.

"Shut up!" she yelled and slammed the bathroom door.

"Hey, cool it, Vic." Darry yelled through the door. "Pony stop egging her on."

"She's becoming a diva," he said. "You need to do something."

"You worry about you," he nodded toward the hall. "Get dressed."

"You let her get away with everything," Pony mumbled.

Darry sighed and turned to Jo. She was sitting at the table and seemed to be lost in thought. He frowned as he caught her gaze. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Oh, it's nothing," she smiled. "Funny the things you end up missing."

"You miss this?" he raised a brow.

"Do you remember why I started showering at night?" she asked.

"Yeah," Darry smirked. "Dad would pace out here and bang on the door the second it was on longer than ten minutes."

"And you'd ignore him," Soda chimed in. "That is until he turned the water off on you."

"Right, and then I refused to go to school with unwashed hair, and he made me," she retold the story.

"See?" Pony said. "You need to do stuff like that to Victoria, Darry."

Jo, Soda and Darry all exchanged grins. "It didn't work, little buddy," Darry said. "Jo cried and Dad brought her back home and then let her stay home and have a day off school because he felt so bad. It was Mom that got her to shower at night."

"What did she say?" Pony asked.

"It's a girl thing," Jo said. "But, sometimes when I was being like Vic is now, what helped was these two being nice."

Ponyboy rolled his eyes. "So, Victoria gets to throw tantrums and it's a girl thing?" he asked and turned to Darry. "That's not fair. I do that and you ground me."

"Well, you're not a difficult teenage girl," Darry smirked. "I know what it's like to be a teenage boy, little buddy. That's why I know how to handle you."

"Oh, so you don't know how to 'handle' me?" Victoria said from the bathroom doorway. "Because I'm just too difficult? Well, let me make it harder for you, I'm staying home!"

She stomped out of the room and slammed her bedroom door and now, Darry had had enough. He held up hand that was shaking slightly, indicating he'd be back in a moment. He had one of those grins that wasn't really a grin, but an expression of annoyance that had now reached the breaking point. He followed his sister down the hall and opened her door.

"I know exactly how to handle you, young lady." Darry said with a raised voice. "You stop slamming doors and stomping around here right now. And, if you want more time to get ready in the morning you wake up early and take some responsibility because I am not having this every damn morning. Now, you get your stuff and you get in the truck because you are going to school."

"But-" she started to argue.

"Unless your want your butt tanned, Victoria, you'll do what I say." He said. "You have ten minutes."

Darry closed the door behind him with a little force and headed back to the kitchen. Pony had scrambled out of his way and went to finish getting ready before being told. Soda was now back in the kitchen, leaning on the counter drinking coffee, and Jo was sitting on the counter beside him. They both looked at each other and then at him, it was a classic twin thing they did, and he sighed.

"What?" he asked them.

"I mean, you told her to stop slamming doors and then you did it," Jo shrugged.

"Yeah, and threatening to tan her before school, maybe not the way to 'handle' her," Soda said.

"She's been asking for it all morning," Darry said as he pointed down the hall. "And, if I remember correctly, she came crying to me last week when I got home from work because you swatted her for similar behavior."

"You did?" Jo looked at him.

"It was one swat," he defended. "Besides, maybe she's getting a little old for that kind of discipline."

"You're getting mighty judgemental about my parenting lately, little buddy," Darry said as he crossed his arms. "Dad disciplined me right up until a week before their accident and I belted you last month after your drag racing stunt."

"Your what?" Jo said with shock.

Soda shrugged her off. "Yeah, but we're guys, Darry." He said. "It's not a big deal for us to see each other like that, and that kind of discipline works on us. But, she's a girl."

Darry glanced at Jo. "What's your take on this?" he asked.

She shrugged. "There is something you two don't know," she said slowly. "Vic got her period, she has it right now, so sometimes these moody outbursts are because of that and it's something you'll never understand. So, give her some space and let her come back to you, because she will."

"I miss Mom," Victoria said softly from the doorway and they turned to see her with tears in her eyes. They didn't know how much she heard, but they figured it was enough for her to react so differently than she had all morning. "I don't want to go to school. Things are different and my stomach hurts and I just want Mom."

"Oh, honey," Darry sighed and pulled her into his embrace. He looked up and saw Pony standing awkwardly in the hall. He slipped past them and headed over to Soda and Jo to be comforted. Victoria held onto Darry and buried her head in his chest. It had been awhile since they all checked in with each other and talked about their parents. It was less than an ideal time, but it was important.

"Pony, Vic," Darry said as he looked down at her and then across at Pony. "Do you need the day?"

"I'm okay," Pony nodded. "I can go to school, Darry."

"I want to stay home," Victoria mumbled.

"I'll stay with her," Jo said.

"I want Darry," Victoria almost whined and he tightened his hold on her.

"Darry has to go to work, baby," Soda said gently. "And, so do I."

"It's alright," Darry fished in his pocket and held out his keys. "Jo take Soda to work and drop Pony off at school."

Jo jumped off the counter and grabbed the keys from him with Pony following close behind her. Soda lingered for a moment and dropped a kiss to Victoria's head. "Are you sure?" he asked his brother. "It's better if I miss work over you."

"Go on," Darry nodded toward the door as he rubbed Victoria's back to keep her calm. "We'll have a chat and then I'll head to work."

He waited until he heard the truck start and watched them pull out of the driveway before he put his hands on his sister's shoulders and pulled her back to look her over. He leaned down slightly and put his hand on the back of her head. "We need to talk," he said. "Without slamming doors, without the attitude, without anyone yelling. I need you to really talk to me, you hear me?"

"Yeah," she nodded.

"Alright," he gestured to the table and they both sat down. "I'm waiting on you, kiddo. Tell me what's going on with you?"

"There's something I can't stop thinking about," she said. "Can I ask you something weird?"

"Sure," Darry nodded.

"What happens if you find someone," she said slowly.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Like, if you get married," she said. "What happens to me?"

He frowned and shook his head. "Nothing happens to you," he said. "You stay with me."

"But, what if whoever you marry doesn't want a difficult teenage girl," she said.

Darry frowned and turned in his chair to face her directly. He put his hands over hers and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. "Listen to me, I said that because Dad used to say it about Jo and because I don't know what it's like to be a girl, but I know it's hard." He said. "But, make no mistake about it, I love you and if whoever I marry doesn't see that, she's not the one for me."

"I know you're dating someone," she said. "I heard you and Soda, and I've heard you on the phone. I know you haven't brought her around because of me, because of how I act sometimes, and you didn't want to scare her."

"Baby, what have I told you about eavesdropping?" he asked. "If you would have talked to me, you would know I wasn't worried about you scaring her off, I was worried about this. About me dating scaring you and Pony into thinking that meant I'd start some new life without you two. She knows about you, all of you, and she knows I'm a parent first."

"I want you to be happy," she said.

"Honey, I am," he said. "Look, my life is different than I thought it would be at this point, but I don't regret my decision to be your guardian."

"Really?" she said. "Soda always said you could have said no and worked your way through college."

"I could have, but why would I do that? There was no choice," he said. "Every time Mom came home from the hospital with one of you, Dad would put you guys in my arms and he would remind me that it is my job to take care of you and always look out for each of you. I'm always going to do that, even if Mom and Dad were still around, I'd still be here for you."

"But, it's different now," she said. "It was your choice then, I was just your sister before, now I'm your responsibility."

Darry smiled. "I know those are Soda's words too, and he didn't mean it like that," he said. "Just because you're my responsibility doesn't mean you're a burden."

"I don't want to be taken away from you," she said. "I don't want to do something stupid that gets me and Pony taken out of the house, and I don't want to push you away, but I don't know how to talk to you or Soda about girl stuff, and Jo is gone now, and-"

"Whoa, baby girl, take a breath." Darry frowned heavily as he stopped her. She had started to cry and she was getting herself really worked up. "What brought this on?"

"I don't know," she shook her head. "I just keep thinking about it."

"You let me worry about stuff like that," he said. "Now, you listen to me. There's nothing you could do or say that would make me walk away from you. I will always fight for you and Pony, and Soda and Jo too, we will stay together."

"But-" she started.

"No," he shook his head. "That's my job. Your job is to go to school, make good grades, and follow my rules. That's it, the rest you leave up to me. You got it?"

She nodded and lunged into his arms and he smiled as he held her. He looked up when he heard the door slam and Jo walked back into the kitchen, putting his keys down on the table. Darry pulled her back, kissed her head and wiped away her tears. "You take the day," he said. "Hang out with Jo."

OOOOO

Jo checked the mail and noticed that the box was empty, which means someone had already picked the mail up and she was praying it was anyone but Darry. She could hide it from the others, no one would really question the letter, but Darry would. It would probably have his name on it and he would open it. Soda would cover for her, and Pony and Victoria would absentmindedly throw the mail on the kitchen table without a second thought. She walked into the kitchen, ready to grab it off the table and hide it away, but instead, she saw Darry sitting at the table.

He held up an opened letter with her school's stamp on the front and raised a brow. "What is this?" he demanded. "Sit down, we need to discuss some things."


	3. Chapter 3

"You know, it's illegal to open other people's mail," she said, slightly nervous as she lingered in the doorway at a safe distance.

"It was addressed to me," he said. "Which I assume you were going to steal since you've been hovering around the mailbox ever since you got home. Now I know why."

"I was going to tell you," she mumbled.

"Sit," he said firmly. "Now."

She slid into the seat across from him and looked at him with the same eyes that got him to come to her defense ever since she was four years old and their Dad explained to him how it was his job to protect her on her first day of school. It worked back then, and it worked now. It always worked.

"What's going on, Jo?" he asked. "You're the smart one."

"Pony is the smart one," she mumbled.

"You're smart too," he said. "Look, I'm trying to stay real calm here but you're going to have to give me something."

"What does it matter?" she snapped. "I'm over eighteen, I'm adult. I dropped out. End of story."

"Joanna Beth," he warned. "You may be over eighteen, but you are not too old to go over my knee."

"You only did that once," she said.

"Yeah, because it worked, so don't think I won't do it again," he said. "Maybe that's your problem. Little too much freedom, you started slacking off because there was no guiding hand to get you back in line."

"Don't need that kind of guidance," she mumbled. "I wasn't failing, Darry."

"This letter says you have incompletes," he waved it around.

"Incompletes are not the same as failing. I didn't fail my exams, I just didn't write them," She was starting to get defensive and he was starting to lose his temper. "I don't even get why they sent you a copy, it's my business."

"Because I'm your guardian," he snapped. "It doesn't matter that you're eighteen, you were seventeen when you enrolled so I had to agree to you going there. And, because you have incompletes you lost your scholarship so now they want me to pay for you to continue."

"I don't want to continue," she said meekly.

"Why?" he demanded and then softened when she looked away and he could see the tears in her eyes. "C'mon, just talk to me, baby."

She sighed. "I hated being so far away," she said. "Victoria is calling me almost every night upset about something, Pony grew like half a foot since Christmas and his voice changed so much I barely recognize it on the phone anymore, Soda has gone through three girlfriends since the last time I saw him, and you're dating. I'm missing everything."

"I get it," he said. "But, it's a part of growing up. It's okay to miss them."

"I miss you too," she said. "Probably most of all."

"Yeah?" he raised a brow. He was always so surprised to hear that they wanted him, he knew they needed him, but wanting him as their first choice was different. They all held him in high regard, and they all wondered why he didn't see it.

"What? I can't miss my big brother?" she smiled. "Besides, it's not just that. I know you're struggling with them, and Soda said he feels like he's in the middle since I left, and Tori said she feels like she has no one to talk to now that she's the only girl in the house, and Pony is talking about dropping out like Soda."

"Jo, I'm handling it," he said. "I gave up college, and Soda gave up college, so the three of you could go."

"We already lost so much, Dar," she said. "And, when Vic said it felt like she lost me too, I couldn't justify staying away anymore. I can't do that to her."

He frowned. "Do what?"

"Go through high school without Mom," she said with a sad smile. "I'm not Mom, but I had her for half the time and the other half was really hard. And, I know you tried your best, but there are some thing you don't understand."

"I know that," he said. "But, we got through it, and it's just a bump in the road."

"She got her period," she said and he grimaced. "See? And, she likes a boy, and she needs a dress for graduation."

"Okay, so you're back now for a few months over summer break and you can help her out," he said. "And, then you can go back."

"And, then she's going to start high school and things are going to be hard." She said. "Think about it, right now you are trying to decide how Dad would have talked to me about this, and that's what I'm doing with Victoria. We sacrifice for them."

"I sacrificed for you, all of you," he stressed. "I'm the oldest, this is all my responsibility and my burden to bare, and I'm doing it alone. Their lives ended, not yours."

"A part of us all died with them," she said with tears in her eyes. "Darry, come on, can't you just understand that I miss you guys. Sometimes I just need you to be my brother again, not my guardian."

"Jo," he said but she cut him off.

"Dar, if they were still alive and I came to you about wanting to drop out and move back home, what would you have said?" she asked.

"You wouldn't though," he said. "If they were still alive, you wouldn't feel the need to be here."

"Okay, but I do," she pleaded. "I need you guys, you most of all because Dad said I could always go to you if I thought I couldn't go to them. You can't make me go back Darry, so you can either fight with me about it or you can just be here for me."

Darry sighed as he stood up and pulled her to his chest to hold her tightly. "You always have me," he said. "No matter where you are."

The screen door slammed and Soda walked into the kitchen, stopping when he saw them. They separated and Jo wiped the tears from her face as Darry kept a hand on her back and a frown on his face. Soda surveyed the scene and knew exactly what had happened in about three seconds. He looked at Jo and she gave a small nod and he sighed.

"Wait, you knew?" Darry's frown deepened. They may be twins that can communicate with little to no words, but Darry knew exactly how to read them. He had been navigating their special bond their whole lives. "How could you not tell me?"

"Don't be mad at him," Jo said. "I swore him to secrecy."

"Since when do you two keep secrets from me?" he said as he raised at brow at Soda. "Especially you, little buddy."

"Darry it's not like that," he shook his head. "She just wanted some time to tell you, that's all."

"He didn't know I dropped out until after I did it," she said. "I didn't tell anyone."

"Yeah you just went ahead and did it, that's your problem, Jo." Darry said. "You could have finished out the year and then transferred the credits to a college close by. You could have talked this through with us, maybe it was just a bad few days. You'll never know, because you always jump without thinking it through. I don't know what it is about people in this family and not using their heads."

She nodded slowly, those were pretty much the same words he said to Pony before he ran out. "Yeah," she said through new tears. "You're right, I didn't think it through at all."

Darry sighed when she walked away. The door slammed and the car started and he pushed the chair back in a little too hard. He turned and looked at Soda and shook his head. "Say it," he said. "I know you've got something to say."

"It wasn't a few days, it was months." He said. "She cried to me on the phone almost everyday for the first month after she moved. Remember how many times I went up to visit her? And, she cried the entire way back when I drove her home after Christmas. She was miserable, Darry."

"Why didn't you tell me that then?" he demanded.

"I tried," Soda almost yelled. "She tried, but you were so proud and you gave up so much for us, for her. She felt like she had the weight of your dreams on her shoulders and she was drowning, Darry."

"I never put that on her," he said. "I had the same conversation about college with her that Mom and Dad had with me."

"That's the problem, Darry," he said softly. "You're not them. You gotta stop thinking about what Dad would say and do, and just act like our brother sometimes."

"I can't, Soda." He said. "I don't have that luxury anymore and I can't understand how you all don't see that. You think I don't just want to be your brother? Things would be so much easier. I'd get to go back to being their hero, the one they run to when they were too afraid to go to them. Now, I'm them and you're the hero."

"I know," Soda said softly. "That's why I've tried to step up and discipline them too, because it's not fair for you, but it's not fair for any of us."

"I don't have a choice though," he said. "And, it's not like I'd change it, but I need to be the parent."

"You need to be a parent. You don't need to be our parents." Soda tried to explain. "Do things your way, not the way you think they would have, and we'll all be alright."

Darry mulled it over before he nodded a few times and sat back down at the table. "When did you get so smart?" he smirked. "I should have never let you drop out of school."

"Okay look," Soda said as he joined him. "I hated school. I was no good at it either. I like fixing cars and we needed the money. Yeah, maybe you didn't like the idea of me dropping out but you didn't stop me. Those three like school, they'll go, you don't need to fight with them about it. Let them find out what they like doing and don't stop them, just like you didn't stop me."

"You think Mom and Dad would have been okay with me not going to college, you dropping out of high school, Jo dropping out of college?" he shook his head. "Not a chance."

"Yeah, but Darry, they couldn't have made me stay in school either," he explained. "You're mad at Jo because it seems like she's throwing away the very thing you gave up for her."

"She is!" he said.

"But did you ever stop and ask her if it was what she wanted?" Soda asked.

"She had a scholarship!" he argued. "Perfect grades, damn new perfect test scores too."

"Did you ask her what she wanted?" Soda repeated.

Darry sighed and ran a hand over his tired eyes. "Fine, I didn't." he admitted. "I want what's best for all of you."

"I know that," Soda nodded. "What's best for me is fixing cars. You're okay with that now. So, why don't you ask her what she wants."

Darry eyed him for a moment. "You know, don't you?"

Soda grinned, and just like that his goofy brother returned. "Maybe," he shrugged. "Let her tell you. It's all going to make sense if you just hear her out."

"I'll hear her out," Darry nodded. "But, I'm not letting her get away with running off like that. She's knows better after what happened with Pony."

Soda raised a brow. "You should know better not to snap at them like that after what happened with Pony too."

"Alright, little brother," Darry said as he rose from the table. "I've had just enough of this role reversal for one day. Start dinner, will yeah?"

"You got it," Soda grinned.

OOOOO

Darry was sitting on the front porch when Jo returned with his truck. She had Pony and Victoria with her and he realized she picked them up from school. She probably took them out for a milkshake or something like that. She was always good for spending time with them. It was something Darry wished he had more time to do.

"Hey Darry, can you sign my math test?" Pony asked. "I got an A, teacher still wants it signed by a parent."

"Sure," he signed it and smiled at Pony. "Good job, little buddy."

"Thanks," Pony smiled back. "Soda inside?"

"Yeah, making dinner," he said as he nodded at Victoria. "Your turn to set the table."

"I'll do it in a minute," she said. "Can I go to a friends Friday night?"

"What friend?" Darry asked.

"You don't know her," she said.

"Then no," Darry said.

"Darry, come on!" she said.

"Victoria, if I don't know her, I don't know her parents," he said. "I don't want you over at a stranger's house. She can come here, or you can hang out in town. I'll drop you off and pick you up."

She was about to argue when Pony interrupted. "Yeah, Vic, why don't you guys come bowling with us?" he offered.

"Really?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Sure, a bunch of people are going."

She looked at Darry and he nodded. Victoria grinned happily and headed inside. "Thanks Pone," Darry said.

"No problem," he said. "I don't like her new friend, I want to keep an eye on her anyway."

"I want to talk more about that," Darry said. "But I need to talk to Jo, can you help Soda with dinner?"

Pony nodded and headed inside. Darry watch him go before he turned his head and glanced back at Jo. She was leaning on the front porch a few feet away from him. She had been there the whole time and never said a word, she just watched and listened. She was a little nervous to face him, but she was still plenty mad and he could feel it.

"I'm going to talk, because there are some things I need to say and I need you to hear me," he started. "I was wrong to say those things to you without letting you explain. I talked to Soda and he told me you have a plan, and he reminded me that I never really asked you what you wanted."

"You didn't," she shot back.

"Okay," he nodded. "So, I'm asking now."

"I want to be a teacher," she said. "I called and got information and none of my credits will transfer so that's why I didn't finish the year. I start in September and it only takes a year."

"Alright, I think that's a good plan but I still think you should have talked to me about it," he said.

"I know," she sighed. "I just didn't know how. It's different now, Darry. You heard Pony, a parent has to sign his Math test. He didn't even flinch. You're his parent."

"I'm still your brother," he said. "The same one you'd tell everything to. I know it's different now, but I don't want that part to ever change."

"Neither do I," she shrugged.

"Okay, so we'll work on it," he said. "But listen, brother or parent, don't take off like that. Not after what we went through with Pony. I was in the wrong too, yelling at you like that and saying those things, but I can't go through that again."

"Yeah," she nodded. "I'm sorry."

He nodded back and stood up. He reached out his arm and she ducked under it as he pulled her in and kissed her head. "Come on, let's go eat dinner."


End file.
